Taste and smell study on psoriasis patients

[Fred]

Hello.  I finally decided to register after seeing your posts about psoriasis and sense of smell.  My sense of smell story relates to the use of Cosentyx.  I have tried a number of treatments for psoriasis after I went from a small spot in 2009 to approximately 80% body coverage within a few months.  Shortly thereafter, I developed psoriatic arthritis in my knees.  With a rheumotologist, I have tried Enbrel, Humira, Remicade, and most recently, Cosentyx.  Cosentyx was initially a miracle drug, giving me total clearance within the first month of treatment.  However, I discovered that shortly after each injection, my sense of smell changed for a brief period of time.  I experienced a decrease in sensitivity but I also experienced a change in smell.  Basically, I could only seem to smell bad odors.  Recently, this issue has become much more pronounced, to the point that my sense of smell has remained in an altered state and now all odors appear to be somewhat or very unpleasant.  As you can probably imagine, this does not promote an appetite since even good food smells unbearable.  In any event,  I wanted to say hi and let you know that you are not the only one.  I do not know if the smell issue is a result of the Cosentyx or a result of the rapid change my psoriasis has recently undergone.  While I have spent most of the last 8 years covered in plaque and guttate psoriasis, it has changed over the last two months to include both inverse and pustular psoriasis in areas that had never before been affected by the plaque and guttate psoriasis.  To top it off, I recently had to stop the Cosentyx because it has clearly ceased to provide any benefit while affecting my liver enzymes.  I’m hoping that my next Rheumotologist visit yields more results but I suppose we will see.  At this point, the next step is to try the new daily pill (I think it is called Otezla) to see if that works.  Thanks for reading, awog

I lost my smell a few years ago after a bad cold, so mine isn't down to the use of Cosentyx. It will be interesting to see if it gets any better for you once you stop using Cosentyx.

Like you though I am finding Cosentyx isn't great for the psoriasis, but I am currently trying 3 weeks between doses to see if it helps.

Good luck with Otezla you can read more about it here: Otezla

Welcome to Psoriasis Club by the way.